Best Verizon prepaid phones (October 2018)

Verizon Wireless isn’t necessarily known for its prepaid phones, but there are a few standouts. We’ve already taken a look at the best Verizon phones, but now let’s go through the best Verizon prepaid phones. If you don’t find anything here, check out our general list of the best prepaid phones you can buy.

Editor’s note: We will update this list as more devices launch.

Samsung Galaxy S9

The Galaxy S9 is all about refinement. Design, display, photography, and performance were all strong areas for the Galaxy S8, and the S9 does all of them better.

The biggest improvements in the Galaxy S9 are in the camera. The S9 sports a single dual-pixel 12MP autofocus sensor with OIS, along with support both an f/1.5 and f/2.4 aperture. Its mechanical iris lens can switch between apertures depending on the lighting conditions.

Samsung also included its own creepier version of Apple’s Animoji, called AR Emoji, allowing you to make GIFs and send cartoony videos to your friends.

This is the newest Samsung flagship, featuring top-of-the-line specs like a 5.8-inch Quad HD+ Super AMOLED display, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of storage, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and the Snapdragon 845 SoC. Its certainly among the best Verizon Wireless prepaid phones you can buy right now, available for $799.99.

Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus

Following the successful launch of the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge, Samsung had a pretty good idea what users want in a smartphone. Solid battery life, high-res screens, impressive camera performance and more were all things the company achieved with the 2016 flagships. The Note 7 seemed to improve even more in those areas — until the whole, you know, exploding thing.

The Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus righted the ship, so to speak. The prepaid Verizon versions feature the same top-of-the-line specifications, great cameras, and an all-new design.

This time around, Samsung included a curved screen on both the S8 and S8 Plus, as well as an 18.5:9 aspect ratio that allows for a much more comfortable in-hand feel. The company even ditched its famous physical home button, finally including on-screen navigation keys. Under the hood, these devices come with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor (or Exynos 8895, depending on the region), 4GB of RAM, 64GB of onboard storage, and runs Android 7.0 Nougat.

Samsung also launched a few extra accessories alongside the S8 worth checking out. The new Samsung DeX dock lets you use your S8 as a desktop computer, and there’s also a new Gear 360 camera that allows shooting video in 4K and live streaming to YouTube. Of course, there’s also a new Galaxy S8-compatible Gear VR headset, complete with a controller for easier navigation.

All in all, the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus are two of 2017’s best smartphones, and two of the best Verizon prepaid phones money can buy – even in 2018.

Samsung Galaxy Note 8

Samsung had a lot to make up for after the Galaxy Note 7 fiasco, and fortunately, the Galaxy Note 8 was a winner.

Like the Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus, the Galaxy Note 8 comes with a curved Super AMOLED Infinity display with a Quad HD+ resolution and 18.5:9 aspect ratio. The 6.3-inch display is easily one of the best features of this smartphone.

Samsung’s cameras are pretty consistently impressive, but the Galaxy Note 8 is the first Samsung smartphone to feature a dual-camera setup, allowing for clear and impressive bokeh shots all the time.

With a beautiful design, the expected top-of-the-line specifications and features, the introduction of a dual-camera setup, and new software features highlighting the S-Pen, Samsung certainly ticked all the right boxes with the Galaxy Note 8. It’s still one of the best Android smartphones you can buy. It’s also one of the best Verizon prepaid phones.

Google 2 Pixel and Pixel 2 XL

The Pixel 2 is Google’s latest flagship smartphone (for now), and it’s great at just about everything. It doesn’t have as many bells or whistles as the Note 8, but if you’re in the market for something simpler the Pixel 2 is a great option.

This device has a 5-inch OLED 1080p display with a pixel density of 441ppi. It doesn’t have a fancy 18:9 aspect ratio screen or a bezel-less design, though it has front-facing speakers above and below the display. Inside, it comes with a speedy Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor, along with 4GB of LPDDR4x RAM. You can buy the phone with either 64GB or 128GB of onboard storage, but there’s no microSD card to add additional storage.

If you like taking photos with your phone, you’ll be very pleased with the Pixel 2’s 12.2 MP camera. Not only has it been named the best smartphone camera by DxOMark, we found the Pixel 2’s main camera incredibly impressive in most situations. There’s even a portrait mode on the front and back cameras, even though the phone doesn’t have a dual-camera setup.

The Pixel 2 XL shares most of the same hardware features as the smaller Pixel 2, with a larger battery (3,520mAh versus the 2,700mAh for the Pixel 2) and a larger 6.0-inch pOLED 18:9 display with a 2,880 x 1,440 resolution and a pixel density of 538ppi. It’s also a great phone, though the XL’s display has had its fair share of issues since launch. The LG-made pOLED 6.0-inch display on the 2 XL shows off a blue tint when the phone is tilted. It’s also not tuned to be as vibrant as other OLED panels. Many early adopters have already noticed burn-in issues. Google says it will continue to combat these issues with software updates, and also extended its warranty to two years.

If you want a Pixel phone with a larger battery and can live with a mediocre display, we’d recommend going for the Pixel 2 XL — you’ll be very happy. If you can live with a smaller battery and a smaller screen (without any issues), we’d recommend the Pixel 2. Verizon is the only U.S. wireless carrier that sells both the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL, making them two of its more unique prepaid phones.

LG G7 ThinQ

The LG G7 ThinQ is an amalgamation of last year’s V30 and G6 (with a little iPhone X thrown in). It’s one of the newest and best of the Verizon prepaid phones out there.

On top of that super bright 6.1-inch display, you’ll find the oh-so-2018 notch cutout. If you aren’t a fan, you can “turn off” the notch in the settings menu.

LG phones have always provided a solid audio experience, and the G7 ThinQ is no different. The phone actually uses its inner space as a resonance chamber to boost bass and deliver all-around louder audio. It also comes with a 32-bit Hi-Fi Quad DAC and DTS:X 3D Surround Sound support.

This phone also comes with some of the best specs out there: a Snapdragon 845 SoC, dual 16MP wide-angle cameras, as well as IP68 and MIL-STD 810G certifications. As an added bonus, there’s also a dedicated Google Assistant button, which lets you talk to the voice assistant like a walkie-talkie. It’s pretty neat. The phone’s available from Verizon as a prepaid phone for $750.

Moto Moto G6 Play

Motorola’s latest budget phone with higher-end specs is the Moto G6 Play. The main reason to get this Verizon prepaid phone is its big 4,000mAh battery, which can last up to a day and a half on a single charge. It also has a 5,7-inch display, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 427 processor, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of onboard storage, a 13MP rear camera, and a 5MP front camera. It’s available now from Verizon for $129.99 with a prepaid line.

Samsung Galaxy J7 (Second Gen)

The Samsung Galaxy J7 family is a great choice affordable Verizon prepaid phones. The Verizon prepaid phone version of the second generation Samsung Galaxy J7 has some solid hardware specs. They include 13MP cameras on both the front and the rear of the phone.

Turning to the display, the Verizon Galaxy J7 offers a 5.5-inch display with a resolution of 720 x 1,280. Other specs include 16GB storage with microSD expansion and a 3,300mAh battery. Sure it’s not the very best of all the Verizon prepaid phones you can buy — but it’s still a solid phone at a reasonably affordable price.

Motorola Moto E5 Play

Verizon Wireless now sells the Moto E5 Play as one of its prepaid devices. It has a 5.2-inch display and inside there’s a Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 processor, along with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of onboard storage. There’s also an 8MP rear camera, a 5MP front-facing camera and a 2,800mAh battery. It’s available now from Verizon for just $69.99 with a prepaid plan.

Specs

5.2-inch IPS LCD display with 1,280 x 720 resolution,

Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 processor

2GB of RAM

16GB of onboard storage, microSD expansion up to 128GB

8MP rear camera, 5MP front camera

Non-removable 2,800mAh battery

Android 8.0 Oreo

5.95″ x 2.91″ x .35″ inches

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Apple iPhone 8/Plus

Okay, we know we are an Android site — but it’s hard to leave this one off, considering it is easily one of the best prepaid Verizon phones for mainstream buyers. Both Apple phones come with iOS 11 out of the box, as well as the company’s quad-core A11 Bionic processor inside. The two smartphones also support wireless charging and are waterproof (IP67). The iPhone 8 has a smaller 4.7-inch display, and one rear camera, while the iPhone 8 Plus has a larger 5.5-inch screen and a dual camera set up in the back, along with support for portrait mode (bokeh effect).

The iPhone 8 Plus is priced at $799 (64GB) and $949 (256GB), while the iPhone 8 is cheaper at $699 (64GB) and $849 (256GB). Both come in silver, gold, and space gray. If you don’t want an Android phone, these Verizon prepaid phones might be a good alternative.

Specs

iPhone 8

4.7-inch IPS LCD display with 1,334 x 750 resolution, 326 ppi

Apple A11 Bionic

2 GB of RAM

64/256 GB of on-board storage, not expandable

12 MP rear camera, 7 MP front camera

Non-removable 1,821 mAh battery

iOS 11

138.4 x 67.3 x 7.3 mm, 148 g

iPhone 8 Plus

5.5-inch IPS LCD display with 1,920 x 1,080 resolution, 401 ppi

Apple A11 Bionic

3GB of RAM

64/256GB of onboard storage, not expandable

Dual 12MP rear cameras, 7MP front camera

Non-removable 2,691mAh battery

iOS 11

158.4 x 78.1 x 7.5 mm, 202 g

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iPhone X

Apple did something different last year, launching an even higher end phone than the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus. The iPhone X (pronounced iPhone 10) is a radical design change compared to the last several iPhone models. It has a large 5.8-inch display with a slick bezel-less design. It also has IP67 dust and water rating, a dual-camera setup, supports wireless charging, and includes a glass back.

The iPhone X ditches the fingerprint scanner; instead, it using Face ID cameras and sensors on the front to unlock your phone. It also doesn’t have a headphone jack. Apple and Verizon are selling the phone at the highest price ever for an iPhone, with the 64 GB model retailing for $999, and the 256 GB option for $1,149. It’s the most expensive of the Verizon prepaid phones.